NEW YORK: Five-time champion Roger Federer defied 32-degree heat and crushing humidity to reach the US Open last 16 as potential semifinal rival Andy Murray almost wilted in the New York sweatshop.
Top seed Federer, bidding to be the first six-time winner in 87 years, defeated Spanish 25th seed Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in a shade over two hours to make the last 16 for the 12th successive year.
The Swiss next faces American 23rd seed Mardy Fish, who beat Gilles Simon, the French 16th seed, 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in a match that finished after 1:00 am local time on Sunday.
In stark contrast, third-seeded Murray, the 2008 US Open runner-up to Federer, needed almost four hours to clinch a 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (4) victory over 30th-seeded Spanish left-hander Feliciano Lopez.
Olympic champion Murray will next face 15th-seeded Milos Raonic, who defeated American wildcard James Blake and 6-3, 6-0, 7-6 (3) on the back of 29 aces to become the first Canadian to make the last 16 in 24 years.
Federer only faced one break point against Verdasco, a player he has now defeated five times in five meetings.
“I was never really in big trouble on my service games,” he said.
“The heat and wind weren’t really a problem, but Fernando keeps you guessing, he’s a great shot-maker.”
Eleventh seed Nicolas Almagro kept Spanish hopes alive when he reached the fourth round for the first time with a 7-6 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2), 6-1 win over wildcard Jack Sock.
Almagro will meet Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych, who defeated American 27th seed Sam Querrey 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.
Croatian 12th seed Marin Cilic, a quarterfinalist in 2009, ended Asian hopes in the singles when he ousted 17th seed Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-3.
Cilic will next face unseeded Slovak Martin Klizan who beat doubles partner Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
Three-time women’s champion Serena Williams went level with sister Venus on 61 US Open career wins when she coasted into the fourth round.
Olympic and Wimbledon champion Williams won eight games in succession to claim a 6-4, 6-0 win over Russia’s world 42 Ekaterina Makarova, the woman who knocked her out of the Australian Open this year.
Williams, the fourth seed, fired 31 winners and eight aces and will next face unseeded Czech Andrea Hlavackova, who beat Maria Kirilenko of Russia, the 14th seed, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.
Polish second seed and Wimbledon runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska matched her best US Open performance by also reaching the last 16 with a 6-3, 7-5 win over error-plagued Serb 30th seed Jelena Jankovic, the 2008 runner-up.
Radwanska goes on to face Italian 20th seed Roberta Vinci for a place in the quarterfinals. (AFP)